Travel boom despite the crisis: Germans spend 85 billion euros on vacation!

Travel boom despite the crisis: Germans spend 85 billion euros on vacation!

Berlin, Deutschland - The German travel wish remains strong even in times of economic uncertainties. Various analyzes, including that of ITB Berlin, show a robust development of the German travel market for the summer season 2025. Despite the continuing inflation and the associated rising living expenses, the population also plans to spend around 85 billion euros on travel services in 2023, which corresponds to an increase of six percent compared to the previous year, as [Tophotel] reports.

In particular, the organized travel market, including flat-rate and building new travel, has strong growth. Vacationers are ready to invest almost 40 billion euros in travel packages, which corresponds to an increase of around seven percent. For the industry, the hot water destinations on the Mediterranean, with Turkey as the highest sales of flight, are of central importance. Spain and Greece follow the second and third place.

booking behavior and market trends

Overall, the booking trends show that cheaper travel destinations such as Bulgaria, Tunisia and Egypt gain popularity. At the same time, less established destinations in the Balkans, such as Montenegro and Albania, have a moderate increase in booking figures. However, this shift is contrasting to developments at an international level, where the general mood in the travel sector indicates a deterioration, as [ITB.com] indicates.

According to the ADAC travel monitor, around 32 percent of Germans are currently affected to pay attention to the expense when planning their summer vacation. This is a clear increase compared to 17 percent in 2022.

sustainability and technological developments

The topics of sustainability and climate risks are becoming increasingly important in travel planning. At the moment, 18 percent of those surveyed take into account the risk of natural disasters in vacation planning, which corresponds to an increase of 14 percent in the previous year. Nevertheless, a survey shows that only a fifth of travelers are willing to pay more for sustainable offers. This underlines the conflict between claim and reality in relation to environmentally conscious travel.

Technological terrain faces the industry with new challenges. Digitization is fundamentally changing booking behavior: Around 66 percent of all travel bookings are already handled online, with a forecast of over 70 percent by 2027. Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a crucial role here, since it is increasingly integrated into booking processes with the potential for efficiency gains.

Nevertheless, the industry remains faced with different challenges. According to experts, the responsibility for sustainable developments is mainly among the travel companies themselves. Possibilities to regulate visitor flows and to reduce unwanted tourist activities could help improve both environmental protection and the quality of stay of travelers.